The Power of Imagination

 Imagination. It is the magic carpet of the mind. With it we can journey centuries backward in time or fly forward to a future we have never seen. We can imagine things as we wish they were, and, when it is most productive, we can actually change the world around us.

In his famous speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr., imagined a world where men would “not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.”  “I have a dream,” he proclaimed, “that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. ,,, I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. ... . With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” 

Dr. King’s imagination made a difference.  While prejudice remains in many places, racial equality and inclusion have advanced since he spoke those words and cast that vision. Jesus cast an even greater vision 2,000 years ago in his Sermon On the Mount, (Matthew 5-7).

 If we lived as Jesus imagined we could and should live, we would treat everyone with respect. No one would be considered a fool and no one would be expendable. Adultery and lust would vanish. Marriage would prosper. Each of us would speak truthfully and no one would lie. We would refuse to retaliate, and no one would seek to get even with those who have wronged them. We would go the extra mile and, if anyone asks for our shirt, we would give him our coat. We would not only love our friends and family, we would love our enemies and seek to do good for them. 

Our faith would be authentic and real without hypocrisy. We would give to the poor in secret without even taking a tax deduction or hoping someone recognized our charity. Instead of praying long repetitious public prayers, we would pray privately from our hearts. If anyone has wronged us in any way, we would forgive them without requiring them to ask for it. We would no longer be driven to accumulate possessions and money. Instead, we would invest our resources in doing good for others who are in need. We would no longer worry. Everyone would treat everyone else the same way they desire to be treated.

Each of us, every day is creating a world of our own imagination. In the end, we each must choose what we imagine and what the world around us will become.